A process and a cutting device of the type mentioned above are known from several sources, e.g. from GB-PS 1 335 477. Along the cutting lines the fabric run described is furnished with a marker profile in the form of a thinning of the fabric. On a drive shaft the cutting device is equipped with adjustably arranged cutting disks, before which are arranged sensing pads that sense the marking profiles. The sensing pads are coupled via brackets with the cutting disks such that when the sensing pads are moved laterally, the attendant cutting disks move laterally along with the sensing pads, thereby providing alignment along the marker profile. A disadvantage of this arrangement is that at the cutting lines the already thin fabric can only have a slight change in shape in the form of a thickness reduction so that the danger always exists of the sensing pad moving to the side away from the marker profile, causing the cut to misalign with the marker profile and hence with the cutting line. Misalignment of the sensing pad and hence of the cutting disk is further augmented in that a relatively strong force is required to move the cutting disk laterally, whereas the lateral forces required to change the position of the sensing pad are slight. With this device precision cutting is difficult to achieve.
CH-PS 392 415 describes a device for lengthwise cutting of fabrics of the type mentioned above, lateral misalignment of the cutting tool being prevented in that twisted threads are woven in on both sides of the cutting lines, between which the weft threads are freely located. The cutting device is equipped with a sensing gearwheel before the cutting, the tapered teeth of which mesh with the twisted threads in the floating weft threads. The sensing gearwheel can be moved along a stationary axis, which serves as a support, and is connected with a blade holder of the cutting device. When the cutting tool misaligns with the cutting line the sensing gearwheel, which meshes with twisted threads, is moved laterally, and along with it the cutting tool. Disadvantageous here is the fact that between the twisted threads the fabric can have almost only floating weft threads to enable the meshing of the sensing gearwheel. The cutting device and the type of guiding of the cutting device are therefore only conditionally functional, and are unsuitable in particular for fabric runs that are cut thermally because with the thermal cutting adequate solidification of the floating weft threads is not possible. In addition, the fabric requires relatively sturdytwisted threads to guide the sensing gearwheel, thereby adversely affecting the fabric makeup. The process and the cutting device are not usable for a full fabric because they would damage the fabric.